DUP: coming in from the cold with gusto

Suzanne Breen’s piece in the inaugral issue of the Village, is about the most comprehensive reporting of the thinking at the heart of the DUP to the media mainstream – well worth reading from top to bottom!On powersharing:

“If we don’t have a Fenian about the place, we won’t get power. If we constantly obstruct Sinn Féin, the whole set-up will collapse. Most ordinary unionists and nationalists no longer have faith in devolution. They don’t believe the Assembly and Executive worked for them. They couldn’t care less whether the institutions are restored. They’re bored with the talks”.

On devolution:

“…devolution must deliver. It can’t just be about 108 Assembly members and their hangers-on. We must ensure better education and healthcare. The DUP and Sinn Féin have similar profiles. We’re both supported by working-class people trying to get on in life.”

Breen detects greater antipathy towards the SDLP than Sinn Fein:

“We had a three-hour meeting with Mark Durkan and there is absolutely no point in doing so again. He is determined every dot and comma of the Agreement will remain. The SDLP are the new DUP. They’re far more intransigent than us. Sinn Féin would probably be more flexible and realistic.”

And there’s more…. Including a nice exchange between Jeffrey Donaldson and Bob McCartney.

Mick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty